Cherkasy City Council deprives Cherkasy Diocese of UOC of ownership of all land plots in the city

On May 28, 2025, the executive committee of the Cherkasy City Council convened an extraordinary session, during which it decided to deprive the city of ownership of all land plots used by the Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The meeting was so “urgent” that most of the participants were present online. This was reported by the press service of the Cherkasy City Council.

It is reported that during the meeting, the deputies considered the only issue concerning the property rights of religious communities of the Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in honor of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, the Nativity of Christ and St. Sophrony of Cherkasy. As a result of the vote, it was decided to transfer the land plots on which the churches of these communities are located to the ownership of the OCU.

“Now in our city there is not a single piece of land that would be at the disposal of a religious organization of the Moscow Patriarchate. Today, our citizens in every district of the city can pray in the Ukrainian language in a Ukrainian church,” – commented the decision the Secretary of the Cherkasy City Council Yuriy Trenkin.

We recall that on May 10, 2025, an emergency meeting was held in the Cherkasy Eparchy of the UOC, at which Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv and the clergy discussed the situation that has developed as a result of the intensification of persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Reportedly, the meeting was convened to address issues of pastoral ministry in the face of restricted access to churches.